One of my favorite days of the year is fast approaching: St. Patty’s Day!
This Irish girl loves any excuse to celebrate a festive and fun holiday, and St. Patrick’s Day is no different.
I love making traditional Irish dishes like colcannon or shepherd’s pie or corned beef sandwiches. I often make these things (or similar dishes!) with a twist. And while today’s recipe is not traditional in the least, it’s super fun and has a fun twist of its own.
I made you cereal treats. Except I swapped out the classic rice cereal for Lucky Charms (ya know, to keep the theme going), aaannnnd to ensure we’re all in the festive spirit, I added in a few splashes of Irish cream liqueur. The result?
Super sweet, really fun little bites that make everyone happy! Even if you aren’t Irish or into celebrating little holidays like this one, you’ll probably still think these are delicious.
My husband took this entire batch (minus a few for ourselves) to work the day after I made them, and he said they disappeared in record time. They are addictively sweet with a little bit of that somethin’-somethin’ that comes with the Irish cream.
Now, you can TOTALLY skip the liqueur in this recipe. It will come out just as good and then your kids can eat them! I have to tell you, keeping Kieran away from these was torture. I felt so badly that he couldn’t have one. I’ll just have to make it up to him with a booze-free batch in the very near future.
Totally just for him. No one else.
Riiiiggggghhhht. Because as soon as my husband sees these, he’ll get right into them. He grew up eating Lucky Charms, whereas I did not. My parents were very careful about how much sugar their kids consumed. We never drank juice (except the occasional OJ at breakfast), and the sweetest cereal allowed into our pantry was Honey Nut Cheerios. Yum.
So, as a result, I don’t have a nostalgic affiliation with Lucky Charms cereal at all, except if you include the countless times I would beg my mom to allow me to put JUST ONE BOX in the shopping cart (she never caved. As a parent myself now, I give her major props for staying firm).
If you’re like me and lived a sugar-deprived childhood (which I’m grateful for as an adult, by the way), feel free to swap in any cereal you like here. Rice Krispies are always, always a good choice. Cheerios work too!
Dan has requested that I make these again with his favorite childhood cereal of all time: Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Soooo, you may see that variety around here soon.
But with a twist! Always.
Irish Cream Lucky Charms Treats
- Yield: 16-20 servings 1x
Ingredients
For the Cereal Treats:
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 (16-oz) bag marshmallows
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 tablespoons Irish cream liqueur
- 5 cups Lucky Charms cereal
For the Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons Irish cream liqueur (or milk)
- Pinch of fine salt
- Sprinkles, for decorating
Instructions
For the Cereal Treats:
- Spray a 13 x 9 –inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and then line with a piece of parchment paper. Lightly coat the parchment with nonstick spray.
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, add in the marshmallows and salt and stir until the marshmallows are completely melted and the mixture is smooth.
- Whisk in the liqueur and then add in the cereal. Working quickly, stir to coat everything evenly in the melted marshmallow mixture.
- Press the mixture into the prepared baking pan while it is still warm and pliable, pressing it down evenly. Allow to set for a few minutes before glazing.
For the Glaze:
- Whisk together the powdered sugar and liqueur until smooth and pourable. If it is too thick, whisk in a splash of water or milk.
- Pour the glaze over top of the cereal treats, spreading it out to evenly coat.
- Decorate with sprinkles and allow the cereal treats to set for at least 15 minutes before slicing into bars. I suggest slicing these up on the smaller side – they are super rich!
NOTE:
- Feel free to omit the Irish cream entirely in this recipe, for kids and non-drinking adults. They’ll be just as delicious!
Hi There. I'm Molly. I'm a food-obsessed, self-taught cook and I can't wait to share my passion for all things culinary with you. My love for egg yolks is just the tip of the iceberg!
I am so glad you posted the recipe in time fir St. Patrick day. I want to make them for a party because they are absolutely delicious!!!
Woo hoo! So glad you enjoyed them!
These look so fun – I’ve never had an “adult” version of cereal-based treats, but it sounds glorious. My parents were pretty strict about cereals when I was a kid too, which is why I was floored when I realized (as an adult) that Honey Nut Cheerios and Lucky Charms have pretty much the same amount of sugar (within 1g difference)…bring on the Lucky Charms!
Yesss!
Another variation for kids & non drinking adults, would be to substitute with Bailey’s Irish Cream coffee creamer. I do that w/ the fudge & brownie recipes I use, so the kids & non drinkers can enjoy the Irish Cream flavor. I set up a separate table, especially when kids are goung to be around.
Never thought to do that! Awesome suggestion! Thanks, Keree!